Mille Fiori Favoriti

Cityscapes from the East River Ferry

2012-01-31T20:33:00.002-05:00

If you liked the view of the Chrysler Building in my last post, you will probably like this photo's perspective.

Or how about this photo of the Empire State Building rising above all the buildings on 34th Street?

Or this view across the East River of the United Nations Headquarters Building?

All of those views of the Manhattan skyline were taken from the New York City borough with the best panoramic views of all -- Brooklyn!

To see them all yourself, all you have to do is take a ride on the East River Ferry over from Manhattan to the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.....

...or visa versa.

The Williamsburg Bridge and the lower Manhattan skyline can also be seen in the distance from this ferry stop vantage point. The tall building under construction in the right of the photo above is the new World Trade Center One.

New York Waterway's East River Ferry provides frequent, reliable service that connects Manhattan with various destinations in Brooklyn, Queens and Governor's Island.

Prices at this time are as low as $4 for a one way ticket to $12 for an all day pass with hop-on hop-off access to all terminals. It's a wonderful way to travel and a unique way to see the city. I hope you hop on board the next time you visit!

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Outdoor Wednesday

Watery Wednesday
Skywatch Friday
Potpourri Friday

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

The Little Church Around the Corner

2012-01-27T14:57:00.008-05:00

It has been raining quite a bit lately here in New York City. The dark gloomy days of winter have been unseasonably warm, and I'm thankful we have not been besieged with snow and ice instead, but the rain does nothing to lift my spirits, as I miss and mourn my Mother. To lift my spirits, my husband invited me to have dinner this week at our favorite Italian restaurant in Manhattan, I Trulli, which is located in the Flatiron Gramacy neighborhood. I took the express bus into Manhattan from Brooklyn and arriving little early I decided to walk around a bit. At One East 29th Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue) I came upon the Church of the Transfiguration, also known as "The Little Church Around the Corner."

The church history is explained briefly on its website: "Founded in October 1848, The Church of the Transfiguration is one of the most famous Episcopal parishes in the United States. For more than 160 years, The Church of the Transfiguration has been known for its inclusivity – welcoming individuals from all races, classes, sexual orientations, and other backgrounds. Established on what had been the outskirts of New York City in the mid-19th century, the church today is a visible worshipping community near the geographic center of Manhattan.

The Church of the Transfiguration was founded by the Rev. George Hendric Houghton, sometimes called one of the Saints of the American Church, who served as its rector for 49 years. In his ministry to those in need, he sheltered escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad and African-American families during the Draft Riots of the Civil War and welcomed members of the theater profession, something not common at the time."

"The Church of the Transfiguration is often called “The Little Church Around the Corner.” The nickname dates back to 1870, when Joseph Jefferson – famous for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle on stage – had requested a funeral at another church for his fellow actor and friend, George Holland. Upon learning that the deceased had been an actor, the priest refused. At the time, many considered actors to be unworthy of Christian burial. After some prodding by Jefferson, the priest suggested that “There is a little church around the corner where it might be done.” Jefferson responded, “Then I say to you, sir, God bless the little church around the corner.”

"To this day, The Church of the Transfiguration maintains close ties to the theater. The church has served as the national headquarters of the Episcopal Actors' Guild since its founding in 1923, by the third Rector, Dr. Randolph Ray. The church itself was designated a United States Landmark for Church and Theater in 1973."

Such theatrical greats as Basil Rathbone, Tallulah Bankhead, Peggy Wood, Joan Fontaine, Rex Harrison, Barnard Hughes, and Charlton Heston have served as officers or council members of the Episcopal Actors' Guild. The Little Church's association with the theatre continued in the 1970s, when it hosted the Joseph Jefferson Theatre Company, which gave starts to actors such as Armand Assante, Tom Hulce, and Rhea Perlman.

The story of the church's nickname and its quiet little garden have attracted many couples from around the world who have chosen to be married here.

I decided to stop in for a few moments to reflect and pray.

Unfortunately, the main body of the church was closed and I had to take the photo above through the wavy glass window of the locked gate that was across the back of the Narthex.

The smaller "Chapel of the Holy Family," also known as The Bride's Chapel," was open, however, and I sat there in peace for awhile. Thousands of marriages have taken place before this altar!

I found this short Youtube video that shows more detail from inside the church, including the iconic Jefferson "Little Church Around the Corner" stained glass window.

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photo source

There is also a stained glass window inside the church called the "Edwin Booth Window" by John La Farge, which portrays the noted actor in the role of Hamlet, which was given as a memorial by members of the Players Club in 1898. Booth was a member of this parish and the founder of the Players Club, which was formed, partly in reparation for his brother John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Lincoln, to provide a place where actors and non-actors could meet

A photo collage of the stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Holy Family.

The stained glass window in the Lady's Chapel.

Once again outside I left through the church's unusual Lychgate. Mrs. Franklin Delano (nee Laura Astor), great aunt of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, funded the construction of this gate in 1896. The gate is in need of repair and restoration, so the church has set up a fund to collect money to do both. If you are charmed by the story of "The Little Church Around the Corner" and wish to learn how to contribute to this fund, I'm sure you can contact the Church through their website.

By the time I left the church the sky had brightened considerably, and so had my mood. I walked south through Madison Square Park.....

...and waited for my husband at the subway stairs across from the Flatiron Building.

We then walked a few blocks over to the restaurant on East 27th Street. Can you see the Chrysler building in the photo above?

A closer view of the Chrysler Building's ornate top.

The glow emanating from the restaurant windows was welcoming ....

...as was the warm fire inside.

I have to say the day brightened for me in many ways. There is peace to be found in many ways in New York City -- a quiet church, a lovely park, the uplifting vistas of landmark buildings, and a favorite cozy restaurant where we have shared many good memories, all helped me feel better.

Where do you find the same experiences where you live? Where do you go to brighten your spirit?

I'm adding this post to Spiritual Sunday, Scenic Sundays, Seasonal Sunday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Blue Monday, Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday. Many Thanks to the blog hosts!

"Little Poland" in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

2012-01-22T22:10:00.006-05:00

Greenpoint is the northern corner pocket neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Greenpoint is largely a working class neighborhood sometimes referred to as "Little Poland" due to its large population of working-class Polish immigrants, reportedly the second largest concentration in the United States after Chicago.

You can see the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance, with the East River between, separating Brooklyn and Manhattan. In the early days of Brooklyn, Greenpoint was mainly farmland. Come the 19th century it became highly industrialized like most of North Brooklyn with a focus on shipbuilding, given its proximity to the water. The Polish settled the area before the turn of the century and Greenpoint has been categorized as a predominantly Polish neighborhood ever since.

There is a definite Polish feel to the neighborhood churches and buildings. To the left in the photo collage above is St. Anthony - St. Alphonse Catholic Church. Its Gothic Revival style has a strong presence on Manhattan Avenue. The Polish National Church of the Resurrection, on the right in the collage above, is located on Leonard Street.

At Slodycze Wedel is a Polish specialty candy store located at 772 Manhattan Avenue

The shelves were filled with all kinds of Poland imported chocolates and wafer candies and cookies.

It even had a friendly, purring cat, who was all decked out in a shirt collar and tie.

I peeked into the windows of various bakeries....

....where I saw the most delicious babkas, breads, donuts and pastries. It took great self control for me to not buy a cheese babka as they looked so good! Perhaps I'll come back after my daughter's wedding, when I am not dieting any longer ... sigh.

Another temptation were the fresh, daily made donuts at the Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop, located at 727 Manhattan Ave. in Greenpoint.

They have such a large following of fans from all over Brooklyn that they often sell out all their delicious home made donuts quickly. The jelly donuts are especially good!

The meat stores in Greenpoint are a sight for both the eyes and the nose, because as soon as you walk inside....

...the spicy, garlicky, salty, and sweet smells of kielbasi, sausage, and other cured meats immediately whiffs into your nostrils. It is a carnivores delight!

Just look at the size of those sausages! I was also tempted by the stuffed cabbage rolls that were for sale.

Even the newsstands in Greenpoint are dominated by Polish and Eastern European magazines and newspapers.

The Greenpoint neighborhood is served by the G line subway -- the only NYC subway that does not enter Manhattan. This fact has hindered the growth of Greenpoint but many young people are beginning to spill over from the adjoining Williamsburg neighborhood, due to the slightly more affordable rents that are available

Housing is varied, from a few brownstones to...

... predominately plain, wood frame and brick multi family homes.

That is not to say that real estate is cheap here, as you can see by this photo buildings for sale on a real estate office.

Greenpoint Brooklyn is certainly a colorful place to visit!

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Mosaic Monday

Blue Monday

Our World Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Many thanks to the blog hosts.

Moroccan Vegetarian Stew

2012-01-19T17:18:00.003-05:00

This is a fragrant and spicy stew, perfect for a cold winter day when you'd like to warm up in a hurry. It's packed with vitamins and fiber, full of diet conscious goodness, and is both vegetarian and vegan.

Served with warm whole wheat pita bread or over couscous, it is a complete delicious and satisfying meal in a bowl. My husband enjoyed it so much he declared it "a winner." I hope you will enjoy it too!

Moroccan Vegetarian Stew

Serves 8

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups water

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 red pepper, chopped

4 medium carrots, sliced

3 plum tomatoes, chopped or one 8 ounce can of chopped tomatoes

2 small zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chick peas, rinsed and drained

In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until tender. Add all spices and salt, cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the water, squash, potatoes, carrots, pepper, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until potatoes and squash are almost tender.

Add zucchini and chickpeas and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Linking to the "Foodie Friday" event on Designs by Gollum, and Mom Trends Friday Food

Check out the links and see what's on the menu tonight for many wonderful bloggers.

Thank You

2012-01-15T18:27:00.002-05:00

"And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,

Bear you on the breath of dawn,

Make you to shine like the sun,

And hold you in the palm of His Hand."

From the hymn "On Eagle's Wings" by Jan Michael Joncas

Thank you to all who have comforted me here in comments on my blog, on facebook, and by e-mail and mail, on the recent passing of my Mother. Your kind words of sympathy and support were greatly appreciated by myself and my family. I've lived almost my entire life down the block from my childhood home in Brooklyn, NY, and therefore my Mom was also a frequent part of my children's and husband's daily life and we will miss her very much. We are comforted by our faith that Mother is now at peace in Heaven.

I find nature calming to my soul, so I took a walk this weekend to the Salt Marsh Nature Center in South Brooklyn’s Marine Park, which is going under environmental renovation. It was peaceful to watch a few families of mallard ducks enjoying their habitat, despite the chilly January temperature.

I also had to chuckle over this industrious little squirrel who was busy gathering leaves to insulate his nest against the cold. He kept a watchful eye on me as I took his photo.

There were still many Christmas trees in the park's parking lot that were waiting to be recycled into wood chips for mulch. Grouped like this they retained their delightful pine fragrance and the aroma made me reflect awhile on good memories from the holidays.

Time passes, seasons change, and life goes on....

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

I'm linking this post to Mosaic Monday, Blue Monday and Our World Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday. Many thanks to all the blog hosts.

May the Angels Lead You Into Paradise

2012-01-11T23:25:00.001-05:00

Mom and Dad on their Wedding Day - 1944

I am very sad to announce the loss of my dear Mother. Her funeral took place today and as we mourned her death we also celebrated her life of 89 active and healthy years. Survived by four children and their spouses, eight grandchildren and the spouses of five, and twelve great-grandchildren, she was well loved and cherished by all.

Her heart simply gave out last week, and she went quickly. I am comforted that my husband and I, and my oldest brother and sister-in-law were by her side and prayed during her passing from this life to one of eternity. After being widowed for almost 40 years she is now finally reunited with my Dad in Heaven.

May the Angels lead you into paradise, Mom, and may you rest in peace.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

John 14:1-2

The Golden Door

2012-01-04T17:43:00.001-05:00

When my friend Rosemary and I attended the wool felting workshop at Etsy Lab in Brooklyn before Christmas (see my prior post), we knew we would have to spend some time looking for parking in this densely populated area. We left our neighborhood early and made one stop, first, in Brooklyn Heights before we walked over to the DUMBO neighborhood. We decided to go to the Brooklyn Promenade to take some photos, since I had brought my "big" camera along. As we approached the promenade's viewpoint we saw the sun was getting low and shining so beautifully on Manhattan's tall buildings across the East River.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky a heavy fog started to rise up from New York City's harbor.

Using my zoom I could see Ellis Island in the distance surrounded by fog.

But an even more astounding view was of a combination of a small rainbow light in the sky and the rapidly rising fog surrounding the Statue of Liberty!

The setting sun lite up the fog in a golden hue, and I was reminded of a poem "The New Colossus," by Emma Lazarus which is engraved on a tablet within the pedestal on which the statue stands:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Serendipitously, as I prepared to write this post today, I read a fascinating review in the New York Times for the "Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles" exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage that is being held in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Click on the highlighted NY Times link to read it.

I was interested to learn from the same New York Times article that: "An average of more than a million people a year were granted permanent resident status in the United States in the decade ending in 2010, more than in any other comparable period in American history. And this does not count the estimated four million illegal immigrants that arrived during the same period."

Immigration has certainly been both a blessing and a strain at times in our history, but as a nation of immigrants the "American Dream" seems to endure and remains a lure. I know I am grateful for all the opportunities the USA gave to my immigrant ancestors, and I am also grateful for my husband who immigrated with his siblings and parents from Italy when he was a child.

New York City has been under an "artic blast" of cold the past few days...brrrrr! How is the weather where you are?

I'm linking this post with "Outdoor Wednesday," Watery Wednesday the "Alphabe Thursday" on Jenny Matlock's blog ( this week's letter is "G"), Skywatch Friday, and Weekend Reflections.

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

Visiting Etsy Lab in Brooklyn, NY!

2012-01-01T22:37:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a very good New Year's Eve and that 2012 will be a healthy happy year for all!

DUMBO - "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass"

I wanted to show you a fun evening that a friend and I had before Christmas in the Etsy headquarters located at 55 Washington Street in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. The Etsy website is the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace for handmade articles made by independent sellers, as well as vintage article and craft supply sellers.

Etsy hosts free weekly craft nights in their Etsy Lab in Suite 712 (7th floor) in the same building as their headquarters.

A friend and I were here to attend a workshop being sponsored by Simplicity to show us how to make felted ornaments from roving, yarn and other scrap fabrics.

Michele Muska from Simplicity Creative Group was demonstrating one of the six deluxe 12 needle felting machines Simplicity was donating to Etsy Labs. The machines can work with one to twelve barbed needles at once, enabling fabrics to mesh together to create new color and texture combinations . It requires no threading or sewing. You can watch a video on how the machine works on the Simplicity web site here, or you can watch the video below of Michele as she demonstrated the machine in the Etsy lab:

Watch live streaming video from etsy at livestream.com

We admired Michele's beautiful felted examples, some of which you can see in the photo collage above, and then got to work to try out the machine and make our own. My first attempt can be seen in the lower right corner of the photo collage. I combined different colors and shapes of felt and yarn to make a Christmas tree shape ornament. The machine was fun and easy to use and I saw some beautiful creations being made by the more talented artists around me.

I have to admit I also enjoyed watching the subway trains passing by on the Manhattan Bridge right outside the Lab's window, and my friend enjoyed perusing the large collection of craft books on the Etsy bookshelves. We also had a nice time chatting with the different workshop attendees and seeing examples of past craft night projects.

Thanks Etsy and Michelle -- we really enjoyed the class and made a vow that it would not be our last one. Etsy Lab is closed for the month of January, but will be open afterward with a whole new program of fun classes and events. Etsy is always full of good craft ideas -- check out their blog's idea pages, and of course they have the most wonderful variety of handmade crafts made by independent artisans for sale on their website.

When we departed the workshop night had descended and the bridge was glowing in its spotlights.

Brooklyn's view of Manhattan at night is a beautiful one, especially on a misty night when the lights are soft and dreamy.

Make sure to come back for my next post where I'll show you a ethereal view of the Statue of Liberty I saw earlier that same day -- it was stunning!

I'm linking to the following blog events:

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

The Hammond's Candy Factory

2011-12-29T17:53:00.004-05:00

While I was recently in Colorado, visiting my Children and grandchildren before Christmas, we all decided to take a ride to the Hammond Candy Factory located at 5735 North Washington Street, in Denver, Colorado, where we'd go on their free factory tour and watch how they made candy canes, lollypops, and other candies which are basically made the old fashioned way, by hand, since the 1920's.

We entered the hospitality center where the free tours run every half hour, Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm and Saturdays 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. They are closed on Sunday. After watching a ten minute video about the history of candy making in Denver, and Hammond's history we were welcomed into the factory to watch the candy making process behind glass windows as the tour guide told us more about what was going on.

My grandson, as well as the other children on the tour, were enthralled watching candy being made!

It is fascinating to watch the syrupy base have color and flavors added.

Then the mixture is placed on a "puller" which incorporates all the colors and flavors As the machine pulls, it adds air, turning the candy white. Next the red, white, and green sections are laid out on a heated table, where the workers knead it out in a long, flat “blanket.”

The solid centerpiece is placed on the blanket of stripes, and the blanket is wrapped around it. The candy makers put this roll on a heated canvas mat. The mat is on a machine that rotates the bundle.

When the bundle is hot enough, a cook takes one end in his hands and pulls it to the width of a candy cane. As the cook pulls, the machine rolls the bundle. This motion creates the twist in the candy cane stripes. As the cook cuts the strip into pieces, a worker takes each piece and puts a crook in it. Hammond's is one of the last candy companies to do this part of the candy making process by hand. Workers then place the canes on trays to cool, and then they roll the finished candy canes into the packaging room.

The candy canes and lollypops are then wrapped in cellophane, boxed and sent out to stores.

There is a wonderful retail store on location that has all the wonderful varieties of colors and flavors, many of which are all natural, of the large seven inch candy canes for sale! We bought Apple Pie, Sugar Plum, Cherry and Chocolate filled Peppermint flavored candy canes.

Hammond's also makes old fashioned ribbon candy and sells many gift set assortments.

The store had a wonderful array of all the different varieties of candy that Hammond's makes, including chocolate bars, hand dipped chocolates, marshmallows, caramels...

...candy dips and snacks, cocoa and taffy. They make special candies for the holidays, so we saw plenty of Christmas and Hanukkah candy on display during our visit. You can also order their candy online.

If you really want to impress someone you can even buy this giant five pound lollypop! This was seen in the Food Network Show "Kid in a Candy Shop" episode that was shot at Hammond's.

My grandson certainly enjoyed his visit to Hammond's Candy Factory!

I'm adding this post to the "Foodie Friday" blog event on Michael's blog Designs By Gollum , and "Pink Saturday on Beverly's blog How Sweet the Sound.

The 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

Since my husband and I celebrate Christmas in Colorado at both my son and daughter's homes, and here in New York at our home and with my extended family, Christmas really does seem to last 12 days for us, if not more! This week we will be celebrating with friends, so the festivities continue. There will be more good food, good times, and good cheer!

I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas, and I look forward to seeing all your celebrations on your blogs. As we look forward to the beginning of 2012, I wish you health, happiness and prosperity in the new year!

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

Please click to play video below or watch on this YouTube link:

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

~Luke 2:9-14

I received the following poem in a Christmas card one year and loved it. I saved the card so that I can read it every year, as it really expressed how I feel. I hope that you will also enjoy reading it!

"The older I get...

The simpler my holiday preparations become

The closer I feel to old friends as I write my Christmas cards

The more cherish the oldest ornaments

The more fondly I remember Christmases past

The longer I hold on to to a hug

The more I realize Christmas is a matter of the heart

The tighter my throat gets when I sing "Silent Night"

The more I enjoy giving than receiving

The more I try to see Christmas through the eyes of a child

The longer I sit at night in the glow of the Christmas tree

The more wondrously beautiful the Christmas story is

The deeper my awe at God's infinite love

The more I love Christmas!"

Wishing everyone a beautiful Christmas!

The Colorado Governor's Christmas Open House

2011-12-21T00:30:00.006-05:00

High upon a hill at 400 8th Street and Logan Street in Denver, stands the Colorado Governor's Residence, also called "Colorado's Home." It was built as a private residence in 1908 by one of the state's leading pioneers, Walter Scott Cheesman. He rode an ox cart from Chicago to Denver in 1861, where he joined his brother in the drug store business. Cheesman became an enthusiastic and effective booster of his new city, helping bring railroad service to Denver, developing the town's fledgling real estate industry and helping the city to rise to local and regional prominence. When Mrs. Cheesman died in 1923 the house was sold to Claude K. Boettcher, a leading western businessman. The house was inherited by the Boettcher Foundation when Mrs. Boettcher died in 1958. The foundation offered the house to the State of Colorado as an Executive Residence. The building needed a great deal of work, and its fate remained uncertain for nine months in 1959 as three agencies of the State rejected the offer. On the last day of 1959, Governor Stephen McNichols accepted the building as a gift to the state.

The house has been available for use by Governor's since 1960, both as a home and for official Governor's functions. The present Governor, John Hickenlooper, and his First Lady, Helen Thorpe, chose not to live in the house during his term, as their young son did not want to leave his neighborhood friends, but the house is still used for Colorado governmental functions. The 24,000 square foot mansion has housed six governors since 1960 and a handful of royalty and world leaders, including Charles Lindbergh, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Truman and Princess Anne.

There are free scheduled tours of the house available year round, but it is especially lovely to visit during the Christmas season. The photo above is a view looking at the front vestibule door from the main foyer.The broad, columned corridor features ornate 18th century French chandeliers and artwork from France, Italy and China line the walls,

The front entrance foyer is decorated with a wreath and Santa Claus figurine on one side and.....

....mini Christmas trees decorated with white snowflakes, glass icicles and white and gold Victorian style ornaments stand on top of a hand carved Italian baroque credenza dating from the 16th century, behind the trees hangs a 1740 Beauvais tapestry, one of several rare tapestries that decorate the mansion.

Every room on the first floor of the residence was decorated with a Christmas tree. The Drawing Room's tree had a Victorian theme, including Victorian era toys surrounding the base of the tree. The piano in the room is a Steinway.

The Drawing Room's mixture of European and Oriental motifs is carried throughout the mansion's public rooms, a reflection of the eclectic tastes of its private owners.

Of particular note in the Drawing Room is this magnificent Waterford Crystal Chandelier that once hung in the White House ballroom in 1876, when President Ulysses S. Grant presided over America's centennial celebration and which was the year Colorado was admitted into the Union as a state.

The beautiful library was remodeled in 1927 by the Boettcher family, with intricate cross-cut inlaid oak paneling covering the walls.

According to the Governor's residence web site: "A centerpiece of the Library, and of the mansion, is the Louis XIV French cylinder desk, made of rare and delicate tulip wood with massive ormolu mounts. Created by Andre Boule, the most celebrated of Louis XIV furniture makers and designers, it is said to be one of only two in existence. The Library also boasts four circa 1690 armchairs, one of Aubusson tapestry, and a glass display case that holds unique jade sculptures from the 16th and 17th centuries, a pair of four foot tall Chinese cloisonne urns, remarkable for their size and azure color and four Tang mortuary horses."

The beautiful custom made area rug in the library depicts Colorado wildflowers.

In the State Dining Room, the table and throne-like chairs are from Italy, hand carved from walnut. The massive table features lion and shield supports.

A close up of the table setting and centerpiece

Flanking the fireplace are antique French rococo style mirrors atop console tables.

Over the table hangs an 18th century French bronze and crystal chandelier, with fruit shaped pendants in amethyst.

The magnificent Palm Room and its two wings have floors made of white Colorado Yule marble, the same marble that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, DC is made from. Italian Carrara marble was used for statuary, the scrolled pedestal tables, and benches and urns.

In the wings of the Palm Room there are hand-crafted floor to ceiling leaded glass windows which bear the Boettcher family initials, and overlook the south lawn.

The room was very bright from the morning sun, so it was hard to photograph the Palm Room's Christmas tree, but if you look closely you can see it is decorated with Native American themed ornaments. On a clear day Pike's Peak, which 70 miles to the south, can be seen in the distance.

Colorado's First Lady Helen Thorpe wanted to include a multicultural theme to this years holiday decorations, so there were displays in the rooms and in the main corridor of artifacts significant to holiday and winter celebrations of the different ethnic groups that contributed to Colorado's heritage throughout its history. The holiday decorations are from Asian, African, European, Native American, Latin American and other cultures, and a complete list of the cultural heritages displayed, and their contributors, can be read on the Governor's web site.

The main corridor tree was decorated with a colorful Mexican ornaments, and across from the tree....

..... on this table.....

...was a beautiful folkloric diorama of Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem before the birth of Christ.

The Governor's residence family room was decorated with a Kwanzaa theme.

This was the family room's beautiful entertainment bar.

The family room also contains photographs of all of Colorado's past and present Governors, which can be seen on the left side of the photo collage above, and former and present First Ladies, which are on the right, and also portraits of the pre-statehood Territorial Governors, which are located in the middle.

The second and third floors of the residence are the private quarters of the first family. According to the Governor's residence web site: "The second floor contains the elegant Guest Suite that is a showpiece of the mansion's historic grandeur. After a 1987 remodeling, the three-room suite was outfitted with a set of unusual painted-finish Venetian furniture pieces that were in storage since the 1920's. These Venetian pieces include twin sleigh beds, armoire, desk and chandelier. This was the room known as 'Charlie's Room' during the Boettcher years, as Charles Lindbergh was a close friend of the Boettchers' son, and was such a frequent visitor."

I really enjoyed my visit and tour of this stately mansion!

The mansion's grounds are in keeping with the classical decor of the marble Palm Room. Architectural elements include a small columned stone garden temple with a wrought iron dome.

There is a wide Italianate balustrade around the upper terrace, and an alcove below with stone benches.

The residences' original carriage house has been renovated as an event space, and the week I visited Denver there was daily holiday entertainment being hosted in the carriage house.

I was fortunate that on the day of my visit there was a wonderful music program about the customs of a traditional Irish Christmas, along with hot apple cider being served as refreshment. It was presented by the Colorado Governor's Residence Preservation Fund (GRPF). The GRPF is a Colorado not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to preserve the Residence in perpetuity and to provide educational and cultural programs from the Residence that are statewide, inclusive, and nonpartisan.

If you visit Denver try to schedule a visit to tour the Colorado Governor's Residence, as I think you will find it as interesting and beautiful as I did!

I'm linking thos post to the following blog events: Outdoor Wednesday, Alphabe Thursday (the theme is anything holiday), Tablescape Thursday, Show and Tell Friday, and Pink Saturday. Thank you to all the blog hosts!

Rocky Mountain Christmas High

2011-12-18T23:32:00.005-05:00

If you are a long time reader of my blog the poinsettia tree above might be a familiar sight that you see this time of the year. Every December, Denver International Airport is beautifully decorated with poinsettias and they are a happy sight for me as I begin a long holiday visit with my children and grandchildren.

My husband and I love the Rocky Mountain views we see in Colorado, no matter what time of the year we visit, but we agree that they are especially beautiful when the high peaks are snow capped. The weather was wonderful for our visit, with cool, not cold, crisp air and mainly bright blue skies.

My oldest grandson had a birthday while we were in Colorado and there was a face painter and a balloon artist at his dinosaur themed birthday party. His little brother had lots of fun watching all the party festivities. Look at the stegosaurus birthday cake that is in the upper left corner of the photo mosaic above. What a special treat!

We all had lots of fun doing many more things together as a family in the past two weeks. In the mosaic above from top left to bottom right is: my daughter's Christmas tree, together for my daughter's first bridal dress fitting, my daughter and her fiance's three cats, my grandson pretending to be a fireman at the Denver Children's Museum, another birthday dinner at the very kitschy "Casa Bonita" theme restaurant in Lakewood, my son and daughter-in-law's dog, a tour of Hammonds Candy Factory, where candy canes are still made by hand, and the Colorado Governor's Residence Christmas tree!

We had early family Christmas celebrations and saw the beautiful Denver City and County Building all lit up in its annual splendor for Christmas!

The beautiful life size Nativity scene on site.

When my husaband and I returned home this evening we saw an unusual, but quintessential NYC sight as we waited for our luggage in John F. Kennedy International Airport. Do you see it?

Another view

Yes, it was a rather plump and totally content pigeon sitting next to the luggage carousel belt! What a funny "welcome home" sight to see. It cheered me up a little as leaving my family in Colorado is always bittersweet. I already miss them so much, but I'm grateful we were able to celebrate an early Christmas together. I hope you are also enjoying a wonderful holiday season!

I'm linking thsi post to Mosaic Monday, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, and the Rednesday and Skywatch Friday blog events. Thanks to all the blog hosts!

Italian Mixed Seafood Salad

2011-12-15T19:12:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve many Italian-American families preserve the Southern Italian tradition of having no meat, and only fish for dinner. This practice is often referred to as the "Feast of the Seven Fishes," or "The Vigil" (La Vigilia). This celebration is a commemoration of the wait, Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus. Every household has their favorite specialties that they make year after year, and in many houses even more than seven kinds of fish are eaten. I've made up to twelve different types of fish and shellfish dishes in years past, when my entire extended family would gather around our table on Christmas Eve.

A special appetizer treat is a Mixed Seafood Salad or "Insalata di Frutte di Mare." Although I grew up in a Irish and Ukrainian household, and the thought of eating calamari was unheard of to me before I married my Italian husband, this salad soon become one of my personal favorites! I would be very content to have a large portion of this as my main course, but I usually serve it in smaller portions as an appetizer.

Mixed Seafood Salad

Serves 4 - 6 people as an appetizer.

Basic Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh or thawed frozen squid (calamari), cleaned and cut into 3/4 inch. rings, leave tentacles whole.

I pound medium size shrimp, peeled and de-veined.

1 pound mussels

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 small jar (8 oz) of roasted red peppers, drained and diced

1 cup green and/or black Italian olives, drained

1/2 cup virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

I small bunch flat leaf parsley, thick stems removed, chopped

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Scrub mussels with a stiff brush under cold running water. Remove any fibrous beards from mussels. Throw away any mussels with open shells.

2. Put 1 tablespoon of water to just cover the bottom of a 4 quart saucepan and add cleaned mussels. Cover and cook over high heat with cover on the pot until mussels open, around 1 to two minutes. Pick out and throw away any mussels that fail to open. Transfer mussels to a clean bowl and let cool.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Set a bowl of ice water nearby. Boil shrimp just until pink, about 2 minutes. Using a strainer, transfer to ice water to stop cooking and then place the drained shrimp into a large bowl.

4. Add squid to boiling water. Once pot has returned to boil, cook squid until tentacles curl back and rings are opaque, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain well, pat dry with paper towels, and add to the bowl of shrimp.

5. Strain liquid off the mussels and add to the bowl of squid and shrimp.

6. Add chopped onion, celery, and olives to the bowl

7. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, the garlic, and parsley. Whisk in 1 teaspoon salt, or less to taste, and several grinds of black pepper.

8. Pour dressing over seafood and stir gently. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let salad marinate in the refrigerator a few hours or overnight.

9. Bring salad to room temperature and stir gently before serving. Serve with additional lemon slices.

If you wish you can add steamed clams, cooked and sliced scungilli (conch), boiled chopped octopus, lobster, or cooked scallops to this salad, adjusting the amount of oil and seasonings for larger quantities of seafood. If available, a small portion of chopped arugula is also a flavorful addition to the salad.

Being an adventurous eater, when I was first married I tried everything my mother-in-law and sister-in-law made, and it soon became my mission to learn how to prepare food the same way, especially holiday specialties such as this salad. It was not an easy task, as my in-laws never used a written recipe or used exact measurements. Everything they made was by habit and by eye and taste. It was only by observing and reading many Italian cookbooks did I eventually learn to replicate many of their dishes, and there are still a few I'm trying to learn! We are all so fortunate to have the Internet and food blogs to look up authentic recipes. If you look on my blog's sidebar you will see I follow many wonderful Food bloggers, and I'm still learning more about authentic and traditional Italian cuisine.

It's also nice to share our food customs and favorite recipes through the "Foodie Friday" event each week on Michael's blog "Designs By Gollum." Please join us all on her link!

New York City Is Getting Ready For Christmas!

2011-12-13T19:30:00.004-05:00

Who are these men and women dressed as Santa Claus or Santa's helpers

that were crossing the Brooklyn Bridge this past Saturday?

They were participants in New York City's version of the annual "Santa Con" pub crawl. According to Wikipedia: "Santa Con is a mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill." A few of my daughter's friends participated this year and these are their photographs that they posted on facebook.

It certainly is a fun sight to see so many Santa Clauses in one place!

While Santa is making a list and checking it twice,

all of New York City is getting ready for Christmas!

The stores along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan are all dressed in their holiday finery.

Office buildings in Manhattan are decorated with gigantic wreaths....

...and almost every building lobby holds a Christmas tree.

Almost everything in New York City seems so larger than life during the Christmas season.

From the wooden soldiers that are standing guard...

and the large toy train display, and...

the Christmas tree ornaments, and...

Christmas tree lights that decorate the fountains outside the publishing houses on 6th Avenue.

Another Santa Claus was sighted near Radio City Hall,

and this delighted little girl had her photo taken with him.

But no visit to New York City would be complete without a visit to Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

..to see its beautiful Christmas tree, and ...

..its beautiful life size Nativity scene.

Whether large ....

...or small, like this window Nativity scene in a Greenwich Village store front,

the most beautiful message of the Christmas season is waiting for the birth of Christ.

I'm linking this post to Outdoor Wednesday on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer.

A Twilight Walk Along Moonstone Beach

2011-12-10T13:43:00.002-05:00

After leaving Paso Robles (to read that post click here) and driving west back to the Pacific Coast Highway, we drove north towards the quaint little community of Cambria, California. We decided to stop and stay for the night in a motel that was located right across the road from a section of Moonstone Beach. After checking into the motel my husband and I decided to take a sunset stroll along the beach, even though the sky was partially overcast like a woolly blanket stretched along the shoreline.

As the sun dipped below the horizon it struggled to send it's last glowing rays through the cloud bank and the unusual lighting made the ocean and beach appear like a shimmering mirror! It was truly a spectacular sight, and I could see that this area could be a photographer's paradise.

The beach held giant boulders and many smooth black stones that I collected as we walked along the shore. We stopped in our tracks when we came across large mounds of kelp that had washed ashore in a prior storm. When we first approached the long tangles of the brown cords (above photo lower right corner) I was reminded of legends of Medusa and other serpent haired monsters. The kelp looked like a living and breathing reptile ready to slither away, but in fact it was specimens of a beneficial brown algae plant called Macrocystis pyrifera that grows along the Pacific coast in large underwater forests. To learn some fascinating facts about the giant kelp forests along the Pacific Coast go to this page: Natural Marine Sanctuaries.

We saw a surfer leaving the beach as the light was slowly disappearing. Moonstone is a world class surfing destination as waves can be as high as 7.5 to 8 feet, and higher, at times.

Our twilight walk along Moonstone Beach left us with many very magical memories.

Back on the road the next morning we headed north along the Pacific Coast Highway to our next planned stop of San Simeon, where we wanted to visit the world famous Hearst Castle.

Can you see the castle high upon the mountain? On my next post about our California trip along the coast from San Diego to San Francisco I'll take you there! Meanwhile, come back to my blog on Wednesday for some more "Christmas in New York" city scenes!

I'm linking this post to "Mosaic Monday," "Blue Monday" and "Our World Tuesday" blog events. Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

It Smells Like Christmas!

2011-12-06T20:49:00.002-05:00

My Christmas Cactus is in bloom!

While the flowers don't have a strong scent, I can definitely detect a certain sweetness when I walk near them.

The smell of fresh cut Christmas trees are appearing on many corners in New York City. This is how many New Yorkers buy their home trees and wreaths.

It's so nice to walk on the sidewalk between the trees and smell their pine and balsam fragrance.

Did you know that having a real Christmas tree is better for your health and the environment? There is a very interesting article in Organic Gardening Magazine at this link that discusses this very fact.

Bakeries are beginning to display Christmas goodies.

I really enjoyed looking at this store's sweet gingerbread houses and cookie display along side a few vintage cookbooks. I love the spicy smell of gingerbread, don't you?

This bakery had a Santa's Hat cake among all their baked goodies for sale!

Holiday candy is being displayed in all New York's wonderful ethnic markets. I'll be showing a neighborhood in Brooklyn on my blog soon that is predominantly Polish, where I took this photo. It was a wonderful smelling candy shop.

The smell of chocolate is heavenly in Jacques Torres chocolate shops located in various neighborhoods of the city.

I was recently in his shop in the D.U.M.B.O neighborhood of Brooklyn, and found these cheery snowman so appealing!

Chocolate Trees, Santa, Snowmen...oh my!

Probably the best smells are coming out of your kitchen right now as you are preparing for Christmas.

This is an old photo of the cookie trays I used to prepare to give as gifts for Christmas. Everyone now seems to be on a diet, so I don't bake quite as much anymore, but I'll definitely prepare a few treats for Christmas Day! What is your favorite Christmas cookie or holiday treat?

I'm linking this post to the "Outdoor Wednesday" blog event of Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer.

Eberle and Niner Wineries, Paso Robles, California

2011-12-04T16:16:00.003-05:00

After we left the town of San Luis Obispo, California, we took a detour away from the Pacific Coast Highway to go northeast on route Highway 101 to visit a few wineries in Paso Robles. Located on the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucia Coastal Mountain Range, Paso Robles is the third largest and fastest growing wine region in California. Scenic country roads lead to more than 180 wineries, where more than 40 premium wine varieties are grown and produced.

Using our AAA Tour Book to chose a winery to visit, we decided on Eberle Winery, recommended as a place of interest because of it's extensive underground wine caves, and as one of the highest award-winning wineries in the U.S. and ranks in the top 10 of gold medal award-winning wineries in the country.

When we approached the Eberle visitor center we were greeted by this bronze statue of a wild boar, which has become sort of a good luck charm for my husband and I. Why?

It's because we've happened to come across this same fellow quite often in our travels!

The original bronze boar called "Porcellino" was cast by Pietro Tacca in Italy in 1620, and today, the original can be found in the Mercato Nuovo in Florence, Italy. The photo to the top left is my husband touching it's nose in that Italian Market. Legend has it that if you rub the boar's nose and toss a few coins in the fountain it sits on, you will have good luck and if you are a traveler you will return to the same place one day. We have also seen him in Sydney, NSW Autralia, at the Ferrari-Carano Winery in Sonoma, California and now Eberle Winery, Paso Robles.

The Paso Wine web site, had the following information about Winemaker Gary Eberle:

"A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Eberle started his college career in 1962 at Pennsylvania State University. Given a full scholarship, Gary balanced his duties as a defensive lineman for the football team and as a student studying biology. Eberle moved to Louisiana where he did his graduate work in cellular genetics at Louisiana State University (LSU).

During his time at LSU, a professor introduced him to the magical world of food and wine. Tasting a sampling of fine, classified growth Bordeaux from his professor's cellar, Eberle took a keen interest in Cabernet Sauvignon. He began to envision the possibility of creating a wine that would rival those of Bordeaux and soon found himself on an airplane to California.

He arrived at the University of California at Davis, where he met with the chair of the enology department and explained that he wanted to become a winemaker. Impressed with Eberle's credentials, the professor admitted him to the doctoral program without the usual qualifying exam.
During his work at Davis, Eberle realized the untapped potential of the Paso Robles region and decided it was where his winemaking future lay and arrived in 1973. After founding the Estrella River Winery (currently, Meridian Vineyards) Eberle yearned for his own winery focusing on premium red wines. The dream was realized with the release of his first "Eberle" wine, a 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982."

We enjoyed a few samples of his award winning Cabernet Sauvignon vintages very much!

In 1994, Eberle was seeking additional space for the red wine program and decided to go underground. and created 16,000 square feet of underground caves below the winery to create the perfect place to age their wines.

The caves also contain a 100-seat Wild Boar Room which serves as a romantic and beautiful backdrop for the winery's monthly Guest Chef Dinner Series and other private events.

Before we left the Paso Robles area we stopped at one other relatively new winery, the Niner Wine Estates.

Begun in 2001 by Richard Niner, who had a successful 30 career as a small business investor. He bought Bootjack Ranch, a 224 acre property on Highway 46 East in Paso Robles and two years later 139 acre Heart Hill Vineyard, which gets its name from a natural oak-tree filled depression on the hillside near the road in the perfect shape of a heart.

The Niner Wine Estates have a state-of-the-art and newly LEED Silver certified gravity flow winery and ta elegant stone barn Hospitality Center on the Heart Hill property. It was interesting to taste their young vintages made using the best of traditional wine making methods and cutting-edge technologies.

Back on the road, we traveled West on Route 46, the Green Valley Road.

The rolling mountain scenery of the Santa Lucia Coastal Mountain Range was incredible!

We drove again to the coast where we stayed near Cambria for the night. We took a twilight walk on Moonstone beach. More about that in a future post.

Linking to "Mosaic Monday" and "Our World Tuesday," and "Alphabe Thursday" blog events. Thank you to all the blog hosts!

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

2011-11-30T22:50:00.001-05:00

So what does a "Mother of the Bride" do when it is approximately six months before her daughter's wedding and she is not happy with her appearance? She joins a gym to workout a couple of hours every day and she goes on a low fat diet consisting primarily of vegetables. At least that is what I am doing, and why I was happy to see this recipe for Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup in the December, 2011 issue of the Food Network Magazine. The ingredients of sweet potatoes, carrots, leeks, and red lentils, seasoned with fresh ginger and curry, sounded very appealing to me, and the approximate 257 calories a serving was a definite plus!

Best of all, it is a slow cooker recipe!

Perfect for this busy holiday season, when there is so much to do!

The most labor intensive part of making this soup is chopping all the vegetables into small pieces. I happen to enjoy chopping vegetables as I find it a meditative experience. If I know I am going out for the day I will do this preperation the night before, so that all I have to do in the morning is add the ingredients into the slow cooker and turn it on. Since this recipe is set to cook for eight hours on low heat, it's perfect for a very busy day.

How nice to come home to a bowl of wonderfully fragrant, hot soup!

The recipe as it appears in the Food Network Magazine:

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Total Time: 8 hr 25 min.

Prep: 25 min.

Cook: 8 hr 0 min.

Yield:4 servings

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (white and light green parts only)

3/4 cup dried yellow or red lentils

1 4-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 teaspoon curry powder

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving (optional)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Combine the sweet potato, carrots, celery, leeks, lentils, ginger, 3/4 teaspoon curry powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a 4-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add 6 cups water and stir, then cover and cook on low, undisturbed, 8 hours.

Stir the soup vigorously with a whisk to make a rough puree. Thin with hot water, if desired.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon curry powder and cook until the curry powder is slightly toasted, about 1 minute. Stir the curry mixture into the soup and add the lemon juice, cilantro, and salt to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.

Per serving: Calories 257; Fat 4 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 8 mg; Sodium 580 mg; Carbohydrate 45 g; Fiber 10 g; Protein 12 g

Did you watch the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on TV last night? This photo is of last year's beautiful tree (view more photos here) I contemplated going to the ceremony but when I heard that President Obama was also in mid town Manhattan last evening, attending another event, I decided to wait another year. I knew all the added security would make a very crowded event even more difficult to see. I'll visit this year's tree as soon as I can -- I never miss seeing it! Happy December 1st!

I'm adding this post to "Alphabe" Thursday on Jenny Matlock's blog -- the letter this week is "D" -- December's perfect soup! I'm also joining in on Foodie Friday on Designs By Gollum. Thanks to both blog hosts!

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, California

2011-11-29T11:31:00.003-05:00

When my husband and I drove into the town of San Luis Obispo, California, on our trip north along the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to San Francisco, we immediately headed over to the Mission San Luis Obsipo de Tolosa. We had enjoyed seeing other historical Missions along the coast, and we wanted to also visit this Mission which is often called the "Prince of Missions." The Mission is located in the middle of downtown San Luis Obispo, at the corner of Monterey and Chorro Streets.

As the fifth California Mission founded by Father Junipero Serra, on Sept. 1, 1772, it was named after Saint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, France; a 14th century Franciscan. The Mission is located in a spacious valley along the central coast which the Spanish named "La Cañada de los Osos" (Valley of the Bears) when they discovered many grizzly bears living there.

The Mission church is unusual in its design. it has a combination of belfry and vestibule and a long secondary nave to the right of the altar which forms an L-shaped church plan. It is a design not found in any of the other California Missions.

The interior of the Mission was restored back to it's original state in 1934, and it is still used as an active parish church.

The San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission has a museum that features a rare collection of early California photographs, authentic Serra relics and specimens of Chumash Indian craftsmanship.

I found this collage of early 1900's photographs of all the 21 California Missions very interesting. Notice how many were in rural locations and now those same Missions have had cities grow up around them.

The San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission grounds were beautiful. Notice the red tile roofs and the long grape arbor. Under the three bells that were on display (upper left corner of the collage) was a commemorative plaque explaining that the Mission's original bells were lost to time, but these bells were two second and one third generation of bells, called "Joy," "Gloria" and "Sorrow." All of the Mission's bronze bells were usually made in Lima, Peru. Being a bell ringer at the Mission was an honor and it took up to two years to learn the bell ringing craft, as there were complicated bell patterns used to wake the mission inhabitants in the morning, call them to mass and announce the beginning of the siesta. The last two bell ringers at San Luis Obispo did this job for over 60 years each!

The photo on the left of Ah Louis (Wong On), 1840 -1936 - a prominent historical figure who helped to build the town of San Luis Obispo, was in the Mission's museum. His store is now a historical landmark. The bell located next to the store was donated by Howard Wong Louis, his son, in memory of his father. Ah Louis was a Chinese American pioneer who founded his store in 1874 to serve as a grocery and merchandise store, employment office, bank post office and pharmacy. The store was used by the Chinese laborers that were living in the area and working to dig the eight tunnels through the mountains of Cuesta for the Southern Pacific Railroad, from 1884 to 1894.

Our next stop was the third largest wine growing region of California, beautiful Paso Robles, where I was surprised again to be greeted by a statue that I have been fortunate enough to see in Florence, Italy, in Sonoma, California and in Sydney, Australia. Can you guess what it is? If not, I'll be showing it in an upcoming post. It definitely seems to be an unusual "good luck" charm for me!

I'm linking this post to the "Outdoor Wednesday" event on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer. Thank you, Susan!

The Madonna Inn--It's All About PINK!

2011-11-25T15:28:00.006-05:00

When I am on the road on a vacation I bring my laptop along to stay in touch as much as possible with my favorite blogs and to answer comments. Sometimes my computer time is limited, or Internet connections are slow, so I fall a little behind. Luckily, I decided to catch up with Susan's Branch's wonderful blog the evening before my husband and I were going to drive up to the San Luis Obsipo. While browsing a few back posts on her blog, I came upon her description of the Madonna Inn on her "We Love Pink" blog post. What a exceptionally fun place this is for anyone that loves the color pink!

The Madonna Inn, located at 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo, opened for business in 1958. It quickly became a landmark on US Highway 101 in the Central Coast of California. The Inn was created by Alex Madonna, a successful construction magnate and entrepreneur, with and his wife Phyllis.

The pink begins outside the inn, but it can hardly prepare you....

...for all the pink inside!

According to Susan Branch, "Mr. Madonna made the whole thing pink because he thought Mrs. Madonna 'looked good in pink.' "

The banquets are pink....

...the tables and chairs are pink...

...parts of the bar are pink

...the carpet and decorations are pink!

Almost everything is pink!

As Susan said in her blog post: "the men’s room downstairs is so interesting, there’s always a line of women waiting to get in to see it!" No photo here, as I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, but it is one of the fun, quirky features of the inn you would want to see!

The fun does not end in the inn's lobby, men's room, Copper Cafe, Silver Bar, The Gold Rush Steak House Restaurant, or the attached bakery and pastry shop. There are also 110 rooms, each decorated with a special theme. If you go to this link you can see the whimsical names of the suites and a photo of how they are decorated. To continue the all pink theme, the room "Carin" was the one to choose, but there are many rooms in other colors available. One room, called "What's Left," is a patchwork of fabrics, carpet and wallpaper collected from other rooms. If I had to chose, I thought Yosemite Rock was one of the nicest of the unusual rooms. Which one would you chose?

Thanks, Susan, for letting us all know about the wonderful Madonna Inn! I really enjoyed my visit!

I'm linking this post to:

Pink Saturday

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T13:59:00.000-05:00

Most Americans will be home tomorrow,

enjoying the feast of Thanksgiving with their family.

According to census figures, Americans originate from more than 125 countries.

This diversity has made us strong and multicultural, but we all

share this wonderful celebration of Thanksgiving.

Lovingly prepared foods will be made,

using traditional recipes handed down through the generations,

and maybe a new recipe, or two, from a favorite food blog!

Thanksgiving Grace will be said before the meal, and happy memories

of what each person is most thankful for will be shared.

Afterwards, while a football game or two is being watched on TV,

there will big pots of turkey stock simmering on the stove,

made from the leftover turkey carcass.

However you celebrate Thanksgiving,

I wish you a day filled with the

love of family and friends,

good food, laughter and sharing,

and most importantly of all,

a day filled with gratitude for all the blessings

God has given to all of us and our country.

All of my photos above came from a recent visit to the historical "Strawberry Banke Museum,"

located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire--a most beautiful place to see!

This is a very special Thanksgiving for my family as our sweet daughter turns 30 years old! She has always had turkey picks on her cake since she was one year old, as we always celebrated her birthday at our family's Thanksgiving dinner, and this year will be no exception.

Happy birthday sweet girl, one of our life's most wonderful blessings...we love you!

Solvang -- Danish Capital of California

2011-11-20T20:42:00.002-05:00

Snuggled in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, is the charming town of Solvang, which translates a "Sunny Meadows," and is known as the 'Danish Capital of California." One of my husband's co-workers told us to make an effort to take a detour east from Santa Barbara to visit this town on our trip north to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway. She knew that we'd enjoy its friendly, fairy tale appearance.

Solvang was founded in 1911 on almost 9,000 acres of the Rancho San Carlos de Jonata Mexican land grant, by a group of Danes who traveled west to establish a Danish colony far from the Midwestern winters. There is still a significant Danish population in Solvang, and a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark. The architecture of many of the facades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style.

There was so much to see and do there that I'm sorry we could only spend one afternoon walking around town.

On the top floor of this charming little book store called The Book Loft, located at 1680 Mission Drive, was the Hans Christian Anderson Museum. Hans Christian Anderson was Denmark's most famous writer. Although Andersen wrote travel journals, plays, novels, and poetry he is best know for his endearing children's Fairy Tales, which have been translated into more than 100 languages.

The Book Loft also contained a large collection of books about all the Scandinavian countries, books in the various Scandinavian languages, as well as book in English, and a large selection of children's books.

The museum is devoted to presenting the author's life and works. Displays include models of Andersen's childhood home and of his The Princess and the Pea fairy tale.. The museum also contains hundreds of volumes of Andersen's works, including many illustrated first editions.

We also took some time to visit the Mission of Santa Ines located at 1760 Mission Drive in Solvang. Santa Ines is the nineteenth of 21 missions established by Franciscan priests from 1769 to 1823. It was founded on September 17, 1804 by Father Estévan Tapís. Santa Ines is the Spanish version of the name "Saint Agnes." Early English settlers changed the spelling to "Santa Inez" when naming the mountains surrounding the area. Saint Agnes was a Christian who was martyred for her faith in Rome in 304 AD.

The interior of the church is beautiful and very decoratively painted. The statue of St. Agnes, dating from the 18th Century, is located in a niche above the main altar, and almost appeared to glow, as the soft afternoon light shone upon it. The mission is still an active parish.

The historical museum at Santa Inés is one of the best in the mission chain. It contains an extensive display of Latin missals and handmade parchment music books, some far older than the mission and many magnificent works of art work, vestments, statuary, documents and mission artifacts.

As with all the missions we visited on this trip, the gardens and cemetery of Santa Ines were lush and peaceful. We really enjoyed visiting this "Hidden Gem of the Missions," as it is also known.

Before we departed Solvang the next morning we stopped at Olsen's Danish Bakery for a Danish pastry and coffee. There were so many delicious pastries to chose from that of course we had to have more than one!

We went back on the road, headed towards San Luis Obsipo. I had to visit a fun location there that I read Susan Branch blog about ... I love Susan's cheerful blog! I'll be sharing more about that in my blog post for Pink Saturday .. you won't want to miss it!

I'm linking this post to:

Mosaic Monday
Blue Monday
Ruby Tuesday
Our World Tuesday
Rednesday

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

Old Mission Santa Barbara, California

2011-11-18T13:37:00.002-05:00

During our recent visit to California, my husband and I were so captivated by the beauty of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, which you can read about on this link, that we decided to visit a few more missions along the path of our Pacific Highway coastal trip to San Francisco. The Mission of Santa Barbara is located at 2201 Laguna Street, was founded in Founded on the Feast of St. Barbara, December 4, 1786, and is known as the "Queen of the Missions." It was the first to be christened by Father Fermin Lasuen, and has continuously served as a parish church for the local population since its founding.

Santa Barbara was the tenth of twenty-one California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. The original church was destroyed in 1925 by earthquake, but restorations have returned it to its original grandeur, and its twin bell towers and Doric facade present an imposing impression of strength.

The interior of the church is impressive. Its walls are full of beautiful religious themed paintings.

Some of the artwork and statues inside the Mission Santa Barbara Church.

A tribute statue to Father Junipero Serra, who had founded the first nine Missions, and had died 2 years before Mission Santa Barbara was founded. Notice the "El Camino Real, " or The Royal Highway, bell marker behind the statue. The missions were placed a day's walk from each other, about thirty miles apart. The entire span of missions along the El Camino Real is 650 miles, mainly along the present Highway 101. In the1920s bronze mission bells were placed along the highway to let motorists know they were traveling the historic El Camino Real, although almost all of them no longer contain signs that indicate the distance to the next Mission, as this one does.

The beautiful fountain in front of the Mission was built in 1808.

When the Mission period was over, the buildings were used for a number of purposes, such as a high school, a junior college, a seminary, and the Mission church today is used by the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Barbara.

The Mission occupies over 10 acres of beautifully manicured gardens, and also houses a museum.

Some of the beautiful pink roses in bloom in the Mission garden.

Just look at the size of this grape vine remnant from the year 1800!

Some of the interesting artifacts inside the Mission's museum.

The small carving above this door tell you that you are now entering the Mission cemetery.

Santa Barbara's culturally diverse early settlers are buried here as well as approximately 4,000 Indians, including Joana Maria, the abandoned woman of San Nicolas island. Her life is portrayed in the book "Island of the Blue Dolphins." She was buried here in 1853 but the exact location of her grave is not known.

Another interesting sight in the cemetery was a large Moreton Bay Fig Tree that was planted around 1890.

After our visit to the Mission of Santa Barbara we headed back onto the road, but this time we were taking a slight detour inland off the Pacific Coast Highway towards the Saint Inez Mountains to stay in a town that recommended by one of my husband's co-workers. I'm sure you will want to return to my blog to see it in my next post, as you will find it absolutely delightful!

I am linking this post to:

"Pink Saturday" on Beverly's blog How Sweet The Sound

"Spiritual Sunday" on the Spiritual Sunday blog

"Seasonal Sundays" on The Tablescaper blog

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

Pam of the blog "Abiding in Love" is doing a My Memories Digital Scrapbook give away and asked me to spread the news! If you remember, I did a give away of this wonderful software a short time ago and I have been enjoying using it to make pages of my grandson's photos. Please visit Pam's blog and leave a comment to have another chance to win this wonderful software.

If you can't wait to win, you can go to the My Memories web site and order this voted #1 digital scrapbook software no. If you enter this code STMMMS34516 at check out, you will receive $10 off the price! It's a wonderful opportunity to finally scrap all those wonderful photos you have in your computer files.

Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara

2011-11-16T20:30:00.003-05:00

On the second day of the drive that my husband and I made along the California Pacific Coast road from San Diego to San Francisco, we left Santa Monica, where we stayed for the night, and began the day bright and early as we knew we'd have many miles to cover. At this point we are approaching Point Mugu in Ventura County.

Here we are about to pass by Mugu Rock, a distinctive feature of the coastal headway promontory that has been featured in hundreds of film shoots and television commercials. The Rock was formed when a path for the highway was cut through the mountain. It marks a western end of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Pacific Coast Highway leaves the coastline at this point and travels inland for a portion towards the city of Oxnard.

Oxnard, also known as the "Gateway to the Central Coast," is the lima bean and strawberry capital of California. We drove by many such farms before the highway returned to the coast.

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As we approached Santa Barbara, beautiful beaches were on one side of the Pacific Coast Highway and....

...the beautiful Santa Ynez Mountains on the other side.

We knew we would only have time for a brief stop in Santa Barbara, so we had to chose a few sights to see. We decided to drive onto Stearns Wharf. Stearns Wharf was completed in 1872 and became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Named for its builder, local lumberman John P. Stearns, the wharf served the passenger and freight shipping needs of California's South Coast for over a quarter century.

Over the years Stearns Wharf served many other purposes and survived earthquakes and multiple fires. It now contains shops and restaurants and is visited by 5 million people a year, making it one of Santa Barbara's largest tourist attractions.

A look back from the end of the 1,950 long wharf to the coastline.

Although we couldn't see them, we could hear seals barking off shore at the end of the pier.

A view of the city of Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Mountains from Stearns Wharf.

Photo source

The Channel Islands of Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara lie in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California, as you can see by the map above, and are part of the Channel Islands National Park.

The Ty Warner Sea Center (owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History) is located on Stearns Wharf and fulfills the mission of the Museum to inspire a passion for the natural and marine world to its visitors.

There were quite a few pelicans resting on the wharf.

Another view of the wharf taken from the front of the Ty Warner Sea Center.

We had a shrimp tacos for lunch and enjoyed the view.

This fellow hoped I'd share my lunch with him...he was left very disappointed!

After we left Stearns Wharf we continued to our next stop: Old Mission Santa Barbara. More about this historical mission on my next blog post!

I'm adding this post to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday for the letter "C" -- California!

Autumn In Park Slope, Brooklyn

2011-11-13T13:27:00.002-05:00

It was a very blustery Autumn day last Friday, and before all the leaves blew off the trees here in Brooklyn, New York, I thought I better go out and take some photos to capture their beauty.

I was in Park Slope, walking around Fifth and Seventh Aves. As you can see more than one tree grows in Brooklyn, and they were scattering golden and red leaves all over the stoops and sidewalks.

There is an eclectic assortment of homes in this neighborhood, many dating back to the 1800's. This charming house looks like it may have been a carriage house at one time, judging from the large doors.

A block of vintage apartment houses.

Another block has brownstones in different color hues.

Don't these wood clapboard homes look like they could be found in Colornial Williamsburg?

These views remind me of an Edward Hopper painting.

I found this small public corner garden charming!

The avenues in Park Slope, Brooklyn are full of interesting shops and boutiques.

And some stores cater to Brooklyn pride.

Park Slope is considered one of the most desirable neighborhoods, and it is easy to see why!

I'm adding this post to the following blog events:

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday

Mission San Juan Capistrano

2011-11-10T21:25:00.005-05:00

The Mission of San Juan Capistrano, also known as "The Jewel of the Missions," is the only mission located in Orange County, California, and is located at 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, California. My husband and I took a detour form our northern journey on the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1, to visit the Mission, as it was one I've always wanted to see.

Much of California's history began with the Spanish Missions. The chain of 21 missions along California's El Camino Real ("The Royal Highway") represents the first arrival of non-Native Americans to California. The California Mission Chain was started in 1769 by Father Junipero Serra at the direction King Charles III of Spain. King Charles wanted to establish permanent settlements in "Alta California," to keep control of the land as other people and countries were beginning to come to the area, and also to convert the natives to Christianity so that they could become good Spanish Citizens. The missions were placed a day's walk from each other, about thirty miles apart. The entire span of missions along the El Camino Real is 650 miles.

San Juan Capistrano was the 7th mission and named for Crusader Saint John of Capistrano. It is now a historic landmark and museum consisting of 10-acre grounds of gardens, fountains and adobe preserved architecture. You can read the entire history of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano on the mission's web site at this link

I was amazed by all the beautiful gardens on the mission grounds.....

...that were full of flowers even though it was the middle of October.

This beautiful pink bougainvillea vine growing up the side of abuilding was enormous!

.I saw so many butterflies flying around everywhere on the grounds.

One of the many arched corridor walkways in the Mission.

This is the entrance to the Serra Chapel, which was built in 1777. It is the oldest building still in use in California and the only surviving church where Father Serra said Mass.

The church is adorned with a beautiful 300 year old baroque gilded altarpiece that was imported from Spain.

Some more of the exquisitly detailed religious artifacts within the church.

Besides the gardens, other areas of interest within the Mission walls include the early adobe barracks, Friars' quarters, olive millstone, cemetery, aqueduct system, and the ruins of the Great Stone Church.

The "Great Stone Church" was designed in the shape of a cross, and once held seven domes and a bell tower so tall it could be seen from ten miles away. Begun in1797, it was completed in 1806, and was the grandest church in all of California. Sadly, itt was was severely damaged by an 1812 earthquake during the celebration of a Mass. Forty native worshipers, and two boys who had been ringing the bells in the tower, were buried under the rubble and lost their lives. They are interred in the Mission cemetery. The ruins are currently being preserved by archaeologists and engineers. A model of how the church looked before the earthquake can be seen in the forefront of the photo above.

Another view of the ruins of the Great Stone Church.

We planned to spend only an hour visiitng the Mission, but my husband and I were so enthralled by its beauty and solemnity, that we spent a longer time walking around the grounds.

From the soft gurgle of water flowing from its fountains...

...to the shade and coolness of its arbors....

I felt a sense of peace and timelessness there that I did not want to relinquish.

Visiting the Mission of San Juan Capistrano fulfilled a wish I had since I was a child, when I heard about the miracle of the yearly return of the Swallows to the Mission every March 19th, on St. Joseph's Day. They land at the mission as the bells ring in the church. Visitors from all over the world come to town awaiting their arrival and there are celebratory fiestas as well as a parade. You can read more about rhe retun of the Swallows on the Mission's web site at this link.

The piano in the photo above is in the mission and is the one that belonged to Leon Rene who wrote the tune"When the Swallows come back to Capistrano." The YouTube video below of Pat Boone singing the song shows what the Swallows look like and also some scenes from the Mission.

Unfortunately, I read that the large number of Swallows that once descended on the Mission have been declining over the yerars, due to over development in the area. Even so, enough still arrive to continue the celebration! I would love to be there one day when they arrive, wouldn't you love to be there too?

Happy Veteran's Day!

I'm adding this post to:

"Pink Saturday" event on "How Sweet The Sound"
Seasonal Sundays on "The Tablescaper"
Shadow Shot Sunday- on "Hey Harriet"
Today's Flowers- on Flowers From Today

La Jolla Coast, California..and a Winner!

2011-11-08T21:42:00.006-05:00

I'm returning to show some more scenes from our recent trip to California where my husband and I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1, from San Diego to San Francisco. Before we left beautiful San Diego we stopped by the coast of La Jolla which is an affluent, hilly, seaside suburb located twelve miles north of downtown San Diego.

La Jolla is surrounded on three sides by ocean bluffs and beaches, and I enjoyed watching the seals swimming and basking in the sun along this coastline.

Harbor seals are a coastal species of marine mammal of the order of pinnipedia. They must come out of the water onto dry land each day in order to survive. You can read more about the seals and their La Jolla habitat at the La Jolla Friends of the Seals web page.

We were back on the road and on our way north!

For many miles of the trip we had ocean views on one side.....

...and views of California hill side houses on the other!

I was so excited and anticipating about all the wonderful sights I was going to see in California. This was definitely a trip we dreamed about, and I hope you'll follow along as I show more in my next few posts.

And now for the winner of the free My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software download give away! I used the Random Number Generator and number 10, Jeanne of the Backyard Neighbor blog was the winner! Congratulations, Jeanne, I know you'll enjoy this software!

Even if you did not win the give away you can take advantage of the My Memories digital scrapbook software promotion by entering this code STMMMS34516 at check out and you will be provided with a special $10.00 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10.00 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20.00 value!

I made the photo collage of the seals above using this software. It's quick and easy to use, and I have been enjoying making pages for my family photos that I will make into books, or frame. It feels good to finally have an easy way to scrapbook all the digital images in my folders, and I hope you'll also take advantage of using this top rated digital software for your photos.

I'm linking this post to "Outdoor Wednesday" on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer, and "Alphabe Thursday," on Jenny Matlock's blog --the letter is "B" and there is so much blue water and sky in these photos I hope this post qualifies!

A Key West Interlude

2011-11-06T18:55:00.002-05:00

I was away again for a few days last week, to do another dream drive on the way to a business function. Fortunate to have another chance to experience another few days of an "endless summer," my husband and I flew into Miami and drove along U.S. 1, the Overseas Highway, through all the Florida Keys: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine and the lower keys, and Key West.

This video shows some scenes of the Overseas Highway and explains why it was named an "All American Road" in 2009. (You can also watch this video on this link: http://youtu.be/dDmBtMuHZac)

The Overseas Highway is the only All-American Road in Florida. It’s the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways program established by the U.S. Congress in 1991. Only 31 other roadways in the nation have earned the prestigious title. Completed in 1938, the Overseas Highway incorporates 42 bridges over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. They include the Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, which stretches 6.79 miles across open water and was referred on its completion as “the eighth wonder of the world.”

The views we had of the beautiful turquoise blue water and tropical islands that were situated along the highway were breathtaking to see!

This was our second time visiting Key West -- my prior posts about a longer visit we had there to celebrate a wedding anniversary, can be read on this link. It was fun to see all the familiar sights we saw before, along with some new ones. Key West has its own very special charm and when you walk in its streets all cares and worries seem to fall away. Its year long tropical climate, bohemian atmosphere, good food, fishing and sailing opportunities, museums, houses of past famous, stores, naval base, and of course places to drink a frosty margarita or two, all add to it's allure.

One of the most enjoyable things to do while visiting Key West is to go over to Mallory Square and watch the sun go down. This historic waterfront has a daily celebration for the sunset and large crowds gather as the sunset hour approaches. The cruise ship in the harbor departs, and vendors and performers gather. I even saw an old cat, sitting under a bench, enjoying the warmth of the fleeting sunlight shining on his face.

It is truly magical, isn't it?

There is still time to enter the "My Memories" digital scrapbook software give away on my last post! The winner will be announced on Tuesday. Click here to enter, and to see examples of the pages I was able to make with the software on my first tries!

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Mosaic Monday

Blue Monday

Our World Tuesday
Watery Wednesday

Pink Saturday

Many thanks to all the hosts!

A Happy Halloween Give Away!

2011-10-31T00:07:00.004-04:00

Today is my youngest grandson's first Halloween! He and his older brother are dressing up as Super Heroes, along with their Mommy and Daddy. I always enjoy seeing entire families dressed up in costumes as they accompany their children from house to house for Halloween "trick or treat" .... sometimes even the family dog is in costume! The snowstorm that hit the North East this weekend had very little effect on where I live in Brooklyn, so I'm expecting a busy afternoon giving out Halloween treats, and I'm also excited to offer a special MY MEMORIES FREE DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK give away treat to all of my readers today!

I was able to make this darling photo scrapbook page of my grandson's recent visit to their local pumpkin patch using the My Memories digital scrapbook software. My Memories Suite is the #1 rated scrapbook software and the best seller at Amazon for a reason. It is affordable and easy to use. When the folks at My Memories offered to let me try out their software I was so excited! As you can imagine, I have so many digital photos of my grandsons, yet I have not been good as I had hoped at keeping up with having them printed out to make a scrapbooks with them. Now I can easily make digital scrapbook pages, and have them printed out up to 12x12 size at home, or send them out for professional printing. It's a nice way to use multiple photos on one page as well as journal a story about the photos. The software was easy to install and use. The page above was my first attempt!

Just look at how easy it was to scrap my two little Halloween Super Heroes in a page I made last night! I can even turn my digital scrapbook pages into a movie to watch on a DVD, view on an iPod, or post them as a movie on my facebook page -- all with the click of a button! I am going to have lots of fun exploring all the options this software has to offer, such as making greeting cards, calendars, posters or trading cards, and bound photo albums.

Please watch this short video to see how easy it is to use My Memories Suite, or click this link

My Memories has generously offered to give a free download of a My Memories Suite v2.0 software, worth $39.97 USD to a reader of my blog. The software works for both PC's and Macs, and it is easy to install and use.

To qualify to win a downloadable My Memories Suite software please do the following:

Go to the My Memories web site on this link and then come back to my blog and tell me what was your favorite digital paper pack or layout.
For even more chances "like" the My Memories facebook page, or follow them on Twitter or follow the My Memories blog for even more fun! Just let me know what you have joined in separate comments for more chances to win.
For even another chance of winning, in a separate comment let me know you became a follower of my blog or let me know you are already a follower.

That's up to five chances to win!

I will use the Random Number Generator to chose the winner on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, and I will announce the winner on my blog. Please make sure I also have a way to contact you in your comments, in case you are the winner.

If you'd like to purchase the My Memories digital scrapbook software today, you can do so by clicking here. As an added bonus, if you enter this code STMMMS34516 you will be provided with a special $10.00 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10.00 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20.00 value!

You can finally begin to organize your children's or grand children's photos, your vacation photos, or your recipes, along with photos of your food creations from your blog. Just think of the wonderful bound photo books you can make just in time to give as gifts for the holidays!

Happy Halloween and good luck!

I'm linking up today with:

                                         Blue Monday-Smiling Sally
                                         Making the World Cuter Monday-Making the World Cuter
                                         Motivate Me Monday-Keeping it Simple

Amaze Me Monday-Dittle Dattle

Take A Look Tuesday-Craftedition

A Round Tuit-Creating My Way To Success

Many thanks to all the blog hosts.

Edited 11/8/2011: Comments closed--winner has been chosen! Thanks to all who entered the give away!

Remember, if you did not win you can still take advantage of the $10 discount on the software and $10 coupon to buy more layout at the My Memories store by entering this code STMMMS34516

at checkout on tis link: http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software It's a wonderful deal!

Hotel del Coranado

2011-10-29T21:11:00.004-04:00

This was my second visit to the beautiful Hotel Del Coranado located on Coranado Island located in San Diego's Bay. Built in 1888, this classic beach front hotel has long been heralded as one of America’s most beautiful beach resorts. Nicknamed "The Del," it was designated a historic landmark in 1977.

According to the hotel's website:

"The Del's visionary founders - Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story - dreamed of building a seaside resort that would be "the talk of the Western world." Since then, the resort has become a living legend, visited by celebrities, dignitaries and U.S. presidents. In fact, publisher Rand McNally recognized the Hotel del Coronado for enjoying more "fame and historical significance than perhaps any hotel in North America.'
Eleven U.S. Presidents have visited The Del, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. One of the resort's most famous visitors was England's Prince of Wales in 1920. He would later become King Edward VIII, only to give up his throne in 1936 to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. Many have speculated that they may have first met at The Del.
The Del has played host to some of America's greats, including Thomas Edison, L. Frank Baum and Babe Ruth. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was honored at The Del in 1927 after his successful trans-Atlantic flight. At this lavish banquet, a replica of Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" circled the enormous Crown Room ceiling.
Hollywood has been making movies at The Del since 1901. In 1958, The Del was the backdrop for the comedy classic "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The resort has also seen a steady stream of celebrity visitors - from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna."

I enjoyed looking at the elegant lobby and reception area....

...and the equally wonderful array of gift shops located in The Del!

The grounds were immaculate and quiet except....

...for an occasional Navy jet practicing maneuvers overhead!

The Del faces the Pacific Ocean with the large white sand Coronado Central Beach in between. From the beach you can see how enormous and beautiful the entire hotel is!

I walked along the beach for quite some time as the cool breeze off the water was delightful. Point Loma, San Diego, can be seen in the distance.

The water was quite chilly!

Pumpkins, San Diego style, made out of beach sand!

Happy Halloween!

Be sure to come back for my Monday blog post to see an exciting give away!

I'm linking this post to the "Mosaic Monday" event on Mary's blog Little Red House and "Blue Monday" event on Smiling Sally's blog. Thanks you to both wonderful hosts.

The Gardens of Balboa Park

2011-10-25T17:24:00.005-04:00

Balboa Park, located at 1549 El Prado, in San Diego, California, is the nation's largest urban cultural park, and home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens and the San Diego Zoo. Balboa Park began as 1400 acres of land set aside in 1868 by San Diego civic leaders, and was then known as “City Park.” At that time it was merely a scrub-filled mesa that overlooked present city of San Diego. The first steps in the park's beautification were made in 1892, largely due to the contributions of Kate Sessions. Sessions offered to plant 100 trees a year within the park as well as donate trees and shrubs around San Diego in exchange for 32 acres of land within the park boundaries to be used for her commercial nursery. She is aptly known as the "Mother of Balboa Park."

Balboa Park was the location of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition, and the Park Commissioners decided to name the park in honor of Spanish-born Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the first European to spot the Pacific Ocean while on exploration in Panama. The very flamboyant "Spanish-Renaissance" style of architecture is what the commissioners felt would best represent the country of Panama. The 1935 California Pacific International Exposition created additional architectural landmarks in the park.

On my last visit to Balboa Park I visited a few of the museums and the world renown San Diego Zoo, which you can read about on this link. This time I planned to spend some time visiting a few of its many gardens that have free admission.

The first garden I visited was the Alcazar Garden, named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain. It lies adjacent to the Art Institute and Mingei Museum. It is known for its ornate fountains, exquisite turquoise blue, yellow, and green Moorish tiles and shady pergola. This formal garden, bordered by boxwood hedges, is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year

The next place I visited within the park was the beautiful Botanical Building with its iconic Lily Pond in front.

Built for the 1915-16 Exposition, along with the adjacent Lily Pond, the historic building is one of the largest lath structures in the world. The Botanical Building plantings include more than 2,100 permanent plants, featuring fascinating collections of cycads, ferns, orchids, other tropical plants, and palms.

The Botanical Building also presents some of the Park's vibrant seasonal flower displays.

The filtered light coming through the lath was very pleasant atmosphere.

I enjoyed watching this group of plein air watercolor artists painting outside the Botanical Building.

Next, I visited the two and a half acre Desert Garden, which contains more than 1,300 plants, including succulents and drought-resistant plants from around the world.

San Diego enjoys a semi-arid and Mediterranean type climate, full with mostly sunny days, so this outdoor garden was really flourishing!

Last, and my favorite garden of all, was the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden.

This three-acre garden displays approximately 2,500 roses of nearly 200 varieties!

It is in bloom from March through December, with the roses usually at their peak in April and May. During my October visit the roses were plentiful and fragrant. I felt as if I were experiencing an endless summer as I strolled along the paths and around the fountains in this lovely, peaceful garden. I love roses and it is always a joy to see so many at one time.

I'll leave you with a few of the many variety of exquisite roses I saw in bloom.

There are many more gardens located within Balboa Park and a full list with descriptions can be read on this link. One could spend an entire vacation visiting Balboa Park, and the best way to start your visit is with a stop at the Balboa Park Visitors Center, located across from The Prado Restaurant in the House of Hospitality. The Visitors Center has the most current and comprehensive information about the park’s activities and attractions, including free guided tours of the park, and is open from 9:30am-4:30pm daily.

Next stop on my San Diego visit will be the beautiful and historical Hotel del Coronado and a special give away!

I'm adding this post to the following blog events:

REDnesday-It's A Very Cherry World

Outdoor Wednesday-A Southern Daydreamer

Watery Wednesday-Watery Wednesday

Show and Tell Friday-My Romantic Home

Friday's Favorites-Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

Pink Saturday-How Sweet the Sound

Many thanks to the blog event hosts!

First stop: San Diego!

2011-10-23T22:08:00.006-04:00

My husband had to attend a business convention in beautiful San Diego two weeks ago. He also had a business engagement in San Francisco scheduled for the following week. So instead of flying back and forth we decided to take some vacation time and drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, California State Route 1, between the two cities.

This was the second time I visited San Diego. I went there in 2008 and some of my first blog posts were about this wonderful city, which you can read under the San Diego label on my blog by clicking here. This visit was shorter, but also quite memorable!

Everything about this city seems to be blue -- between the bright blue bay water and the cloudless blue sky. The scenes above were taken along the embarcadero and includes the statue “Unconditional Surrender,” which represents a famous photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt of a Sailor kissing a nurse in Time Square, New York City 1945, after the announcement of V-J Day. The statue is owned by the Sculpture Foundation of Santa Monica, Calif., and is on loan to the Port of San Diego.

There is a strong US Navy presence in the big bay and many decommissioned ships are on display for visitors to view. It is amazing to see how large the Navy Aircraft Carrier Midway is! The U.S. Aircraft Carrier, "USS Midway" served 47 years, from the end of WW II to Desert Storm. By the time the Midway was decommissioned in 1991, more than 225,000 men had served aboard. It was virtually a floating city on the sea! Presently, The US Midway Museum has sixty exhibits and twenty restored aircraft on it to visit.

As this trip was so soon after our 37th wedding anniversary, we had a special dinner to celebrate at Croce's Restaurant and Jazz Bar, located at 802 5th Avenue in the historic Gaslamp quarter of San Diego. Our wedding song was "Time in a Bottle," written and sung by Jim Croce. Croce was sadly killed in a plane crash in 1973, and his wife opened this restaurant soon afterward. It was a very nostalgic place for us to dine and reminisce. My husband ordered the grilled free-range chicken with forest mushroom risotto, asparagus and rosemary vodka sauce with fried leeks, and I had the shrimp carbonara fettuccini with Italian pancetta, kalamata olives with basil in a white garlic cream sauce, everything tasted absolutely exquisite! Croce's Jazz Bar has live music every night of the week and on Saturday and Sunday mornings for Brunch. If you visit San Diego I highly recommend a special dinner at Croce's.

Come back for my next post where I'll show you some of the beautiful gardens in Balboa Park in San Diego!

I'm linking this post to Mosaic Monday on Mary's blog Little Red House and Blue Monday on Sally's blog Smiling Sally. Thank you to both hosts.

How Do You Stay Happy....$250 Sweepstakes!

2011-10-21T04:45:00.001-04:00

A window in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY

Do you ever feel like this?

You have a million tasks on your "to do" list, errands to run, deadlines to meet, reports or blog posts to write. You have much work to be done, yet you feel tired, worn out, and just plain blocked?

Windows along the NYC Highline Elevated Walkway

BlogHer posed the question "How do you stay happy and engaged while working?" to bloggers on their "Life Well Lived" editorial panel, and asked us to name in a few sentences one tip that we use to do just that.

Can you guess my answer?

Castle window in Ireland

The first thing I thought of was to open my windows -- pull up the blinds -- pull back the curtains and let the natural light and air fill my work area.

Doing so never fails to invigorate me!

Window in Montauk Lighthouse, Long Island, NY

Even the smallest window can let in a large amount of natural daylight which helps chase away the doldrums and boredom which can drag me down. I always feel more productive when I work in good light.

Do you feel the same way?

Window in Montauk, Long Island, NY

Taking a few moments to look outside my window and virtually stretch my vision and my thoughts to a distant vista can be as relaxing as a mini vacation. It leaves me feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work.

Window in Officer's House, Governor's Island, NYC

Blogher's "Life Well Lived" Sustainable Happiness expert, Dr. Aymee Coget, shared her valuable tips for "4 Steps Toward Serenity While Working" which were:

EMPOWER yourself to take charge of your own happiness
FOLLOW YOUR HEART and ENGAGE your MAPS
CONTROL your environment to the best of your ability
BOOST your mood using positive mood boosting techniques

Intrigued? You can read more of what Dr. Amyee wrote on this link.

While you are there please leave a comment and share the ways you help yourself, stay happy and engaged at work in the BlogHer comments section. It is also a nice way to introduce new readers to your blog and find other interesting blogs to read!

You can also read the "Happy at Work" tips that other bloggers on the "Life Well Lived" panel suggested on this link.

Window of a house in Greenwich Village, NYC

Enter to win a $250 Visa gift card on the BlogHer "Life Well Lived Moments" Sweepstakes by leaving a comment on the general little moments in life that make you happy on the Sweepstakes page on this link. The sweepstakes runs until November 16, 2011. Wouldn't winning a $250 visa gift card be a happy occurrence, especially with the holidays coming soon?

Window of the American Indian Museum,

formerly the Customs House, NYC

One of the things that brings me many happy moments in my life is to travel and discover new things -- whether it be in my neighborhood, in my city, or on a vacation far away.

In fact, I have been away the last two weeks in California, having a dream opportunity of driving up the Pacific Coast Highway with my husband from San Diego to San Francisco!

It's always good to return home and now I have quite a bit to catch up on -- especially on all I missed on your blogs while I was away! As soon as I download all my photos I'll be back with all the wonderful sights and some sounds that we experienced in sunny California -- even a earthquake tremor or two!